Give It Up

We Say...

Review by Charles Farrell

The late alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons was a genuinely great musician, one who quietly spent nearly his entire professional career in service to another genuinely great musician, Cecil Taylor. As a result, Lyons's reputation isn't nearly commensurate with his extraordinary ability.

In the company of the most formidable of colleagues, Lyons not only held his own, but maintained his unique voice. Essentially a radical lyricist, Lyons reconfigured the lessons of Charlie Parker with a nod to Ornette Coleman. "Give It Up" is one of only a handful of albums Lyons made in his relatively short lifetime. Indifferently recorded, it is nevertheless crucial jazz listening. The title tune consists of a simple three note motif repeated quickly and followed by a swirl of notes, played by the unusual frontline combination of alto, trumpet, and bassoon. This bare-bones material gives way to bassist Jay Oliver, who sets up a propulsive bass line a la Charlie Haden. Drummer Paul Murphy frantically creates a splashy cymbal pattern that ties into what Oliver is playing, and that's all Lyons needs to construct his solo. He is able to play with great logic and speed, developing long lines that are echoed by Enrico Rava's trumpet and Karen Borca's bassoon (Borca seems particularly well attuned to Lyons's playing, often instantly repeating his lines verbatim.)

One of Lyons's most appealing skills is his ability to think analytically while varying the inflection of his notes, weighting them with emotional resonance. "Methods" is an odd stop-and-start theme, the alto introducing the melody with trumpet and bassoon echoing it. Lyons continues the stop and start approach during his solo. Rava is measured and pensive. Murphy is intricately responsive here, alternately pushing the music forward and stopping to abruptly comment on whatever the soloists are playing. The drumming warrants close attention. Bassoonist Karen Borca shows her technical flexibility on "Never." The melody is particularly demanding, and she breezes through it. Enrico Rava takes over, using repeated figures, split notes, and referring back to the melody. And then Borca returns, playing what has to be the most advanced jazz bassoon solo jazz ever, her ideas firmly held in place by Oliver's underpinning. "Ballada" is a stately theme, its chord changes clearly outlined by Oliver's bowed bass. No one solos. Again Paul Murphy plays with great attention to small detail, seldom bothering with timekeeping (Oliver sees to that), but adding a series of striking figures that militate against the fundamental austerity of the composition.